Method for thermal diagnosis of pathology of a bioobject and device for carrying out said method

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the field of medical equipment and is designed for the temperature diagnostics of bioobject pathologies. The method comprises dynamical measuring a body temperature in a series of points. Based on the difference temperature field on the surface of a body, zones are determined inside the bioobject that are identified with pathology loci. A temperature is each point is estimated with taking into account a type of skin of the bioobject, a type of a temperature sensor and the form of the sensor temperature change curve in process of measurement. The device comprises temperature measurement units, temperature sensors being connected to said temperature measurement units, a RAM unit, a program realization unit, a comparator unit, a programming unit, and a visualization unit. The invention allows to increase speed and reliability of exposing pathology loci.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to biology and medicine. It can be used toestimate the internal state of a bioobject by detecting pathology lociin its body, in particular, for screening with the purpose of detectingand monitoring said loci in a human body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There is known a method for the temperature diagnostics of ahuman internal state by thermography, when the human internal state isjudged by observing a temperature of a human skin at a distance from thebody using a thermal imager (Zaretzkiy V. V., Vyhovskaya A. G., ClinicalThermography, Moscow, Medicine Publishing House, 1976, 3 p, 168 p.;Zenovko G. I., Thermography in Surgery, Moscow, Medicine PublishingHouse, 1998, 10 p, 167 p.). A distinctive feature of this method is thata skin surface temperature is judged from television observation resultswhich depend not only upon the human skin surface temperature, but alsoupon its state which determines its radiating capability, upon a tiltingangle of an observed surface zone relative to a lens axis of a thermalimager camera, and upon the conditions of skin radiation propagationthrough the atmosphere, which makes it difficult to estimate the skinsurface temperature with the precision required for observing theinfluence of a pathology locus on the skin temperature, said pathologylocus being hidden under a given surface area and having temperaturedifferent from the temperature of the same zone at a healthy body state.

[0003] Also known is a method for diagnosing the clinical state of apatient, comprising: consecutive basic measuring a temperature in aseries of points of the patient's body when the patient is certainlywell; comparing the temperature measured repeatedly in the same pointsand in the same order but some time later; calculating matrices ofisotherms of said temperature values on the basis of differences;finding poles of said isotherms; and estimating a depth of a pathologylocus using the resulting depth data (Method And Device For DiagnosticsOf Patient Clinical Condition (L. M. Klukin), RU 2145483 C1 of Feb. 20,2000). According to this method, a skin temperature of a patient ismeasured by a contact dynamic measurement mode along a grid of pointscovering all or a part of the patient's body. The dynamic mode oftemperature measurement used in this method is based on the presumptionthat a value of a derivative of a curve reflecting a sensor temperaturechange with time, taken at its point directly after touching a surfaceto be studied, is inversely proportional to an asymptotic value it wouldhave reached if a contact duration had been much longer than a sensortime constant. Since the derivative cannot be taken in principle at thevery beginning of this curve, and also because it is difficult to selectan exact value of a proportionality constant in the expression whichlinks the derivative value with the asymptotic temperature value in eachseparate measurement, the asymptotic temperature value found using thismethod has quite considerable error which can exceed a temperaturegradient taking place on a surface of the body of the bioobject andbeing caused by a pathology locus under said surface; as a result, thispathology locus will not be exposed.

[0004] Use of one sensor for diagnosing to solve the problem ofexamining a bioobject, as assumed in the known method, may take longertime than permissive because a proper temperature relaxation time of thebody of the bioobject is less.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The purpose of the invention is to solve the problem of increasein the speed and reliability of exposing pathology loci; to this end, avalue of an error taking place in measurement of a bioobject surfacetemperature at the dynamical measurement mode is decreased. The posedproblem of decrease in a value of the measurement temperature error isaccomplished by: previously establishing a form of a curve thatexpresses a temperature dependency of a sensor upon a time of measuringa temperature of a body skin surface after said sensor touches saidsurface; taking a great number of measurements at the beginning of thecurve, whose number n₃ is chosen out of the condition of achieving apre-set temperature error value which is ε=T_(2i)−T_(1i), where T_(2i)is an asymptotic value of a predetermined temperature curve of heatingthe sensor at its contact with the skin of the bioobject, thetemperature of each sensor before each measurement being set constantand equal to T_(0i) which is kept at the required accuracy and is chosenout of the condition. T_(c)≦T_(0i)≦T_(ki), where T_(ki) is the lowesttemperature of the skin of the bioobject in i-th point of measurementsbefore their start, and T_(c) is the temperature of the environment atthe moment of measurements. To shorten a diagnosis procedure duration,the skin surface of the bioobject is marked with regular points, forinstance, using applied masks with holes whose quantity is n₁ and thedistances between them are chosen depending upon a size of the bioobjectand a configuration of a body part to be studied, and examination insaid points is carried out by temperature sensors whose quantity n₂ ischosen out of the condition of an optimal diagnosis duration.

[0006] To reveal a depth z of occurrence of a pathology locus and itsnature, the magnitude values and sign of the temperature change in thezones are used where changes took place relative to an averagetemperature value T_(cp) which is determined by results of the surfacetemperature measurement, while temperature changes as such in pathologyloci may be represented by different colors whose intensity is setproportional to a value of said temperature change. If the temperatureinside a pathology locus is higher than that of the surrounding tissue(inflammation, malignant tumor growth and others connected with increaseof local metabolism), then, because an additional heat source presents,mapping of said temperature at a respective surface area of the body ofthe bioobject is accompanied by increase in the temperature whosegradient drops when a distance from a pole of corresponding isothermsincreases. In this case, a depth z of occurrence of a pathology locuscan be estimated, for instance, by the criterion:${Z \propto {r\sqrt{\frac{2T^{2}}{T_{0}^{2} - T^{2}} - 1}}},$

[0007] where r is a current radius counted from an isotherm pole, T₀ isa temperature value at the isotherm pole, T is a current temperaturevalue in polar coordinates with a center in the isotherm pole.

[0008] If the blood supply in a pathology locus is deteriorated(hematoma, non-malignant tumor, exudate, gangrene), such a locus may beconsidered as an area where normal heat evolution is absent, and a lowertemperature is respectively observed in a pole of the isotherms within abioobject surface area under which a respective pathology locuspresents, and a depth z of occurrence of a pathology locus can beestimated, for instance, by the criterion:$Z \propto \sqrt{\frac{r^{2}}{\left( \frac{T_{0}}{T} \right)^{\frac{2}{3}}} - 1}$

[0009] For the most dangerous pathology locus whose temperature ishigher than an average temperature T_(cp), an averaged temperature valuein the pathology locus can be estimated, for instance, by the criterion:${T_{loc} \propto {\frac{\Theta}{4\quad \pi \quad \rho} + T_{cp}}},$

[0010] where Θ is a thermal current flowing on the surface and caused bythe pathology locus with the higher temperature, ρ is a typicalpathology locus size which is calculated by information about z and asize of the pathology locus mapping on the surface.

[0011] Since coordinates of a center of isotherm poles and depths ofoccurrence of pathology loci fully determine the location of loci incorresponding organs of the body of the bioobject, and their size andthe nature of temperature change in them are determined with such adetermination, the pathology loci can be juxtaposed with nosology typesknown from thermographic observations, and it is possible to get a“typical” picture for each of observed nosology types based onstatistically meaningful examinations of a sufficient number ofidentical bioobjects at similar diagnostic conditions. In that case, the“typical” picture data that are found can be used as spatial filters inanalysis of results of current checkup, that is, the results of saidcheckup are considered as secondary in diagnostics of the body of thebioobject, and the “typical” pictures received before are to subtractedfrom said data.

[0012] The disclosed method allows to research the efficiency of actionof various medical and biological factors and procedures to a pathologylocus, said procedures being prescribed in order to eliminate said loci.By taking periodical pilot observations for pre-set time periods, it ispossible to estimate the prescribed actions and recommend their furtheruse or repeal if the result is positive.

[0013] In cases when there is no staff with sufficient qualification atthe diagnosis site, e.g. when it is required to convene a medicalconsultation to estimate the diagnosis results, or if an urgent surgicaloperation is necessary, the diagnosis results can be sent by wirelesscommunication as a file to a Medical Center specializing in treatment ofcorresponding types of nosologies.

[0014] To implement this method, a device is provided which comprises: atemperature measurement unit and a communication channel connectedthereto, a RAM unit, a program realization unit as well as a comparatorunit, a programming unit and a visualization unit all connected to theabove-mentioned units by communication channels. To reduce a diagnosistime, a number n₃ of temperature measurement units can be chosen out ofthe inequality: 1≦n₃≦N, where N is a number of organs of the bioobjectto be tested, and said temperature measurement units can be implementedas n₂ temperature sensors.

[0015] To improve ergonomic properties of the device, the temperaturesensors can be provided with arrangements for regulated supply of airwith a temperature equal to T_(c), which is obtained by cooling air(e.g. by a method of injecting through a small hole or on the basis ofPeltje's elements).

[0016] Since the anatomical structure of the bioobject is crucial forlocating an organ containing the diagnosed pathology locus, a spatialarrangement map for organs with indication of the topology of thestructures of the present bioobject or its part is to be drawn up foreach bioobject, and computer programs are to be developed based on saidmaps, said programs allowing to carry out corresponding diagnosisschemes. To this end, the device is provided with a data processingalgorithm index that takes into account a shape of an organ to bediagnosed, and suitable diskettes in an installation set are to be usedfor installation of a respective algorithm.

[0017] To make monitoring of pathology loci easy and automateregistration of objects to be diagnosed, the device is provided with acomputerized unit that has computer-readable media of databases ofbioobjects to be studied, their pathology histories, programs used tocompare databases of reference and current values for pictures ofvarious nosologies, programs used to draw isotherms from differencevalues of temperature value matrices in diagnosing, to determine polesof said isotherms, to realize calculations of a depth of occurrence ofpathology loci according to predetermined algorithms, and also torecognize a pathology nature and output information to the visualizationunit, and also to print information to a selected storage medium usingmodems tuned to a selected data transmission channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0018] The description of the drawing will further be explained byexample of diagnostics realization, which example is not unique andassumes presence of other realizations encompassed in combination byfeatures of the claims below.

[0019]FIG. 1 schematically shows a bioobject who is a person 1.Temperature sensors 2, n₂ in number, are connected n₃ temperaturemeasurement units 3 connected to RAM units 4 coupled to communicationchannels 5 and connected to additional temperature measurement, RAM,program realization and visualization units united in an autonomous case6.

[0020] The device operates in as follows. Regularly located points aremarked using applied masks or in another way on the skin of thebioobject disposed in a position convenient for operators, said pointsbeing deprived of fat with a 40% ethyl alcohol solution. Then,temperature sensors chosen for diagnosing are set in corresponding bodyareas, and a temperature drop value as compared to a selected basetemperature is synchronously measured in each point with each sensor inseries. Depending on whether this examination is primary or secondaryfor the selected body parts, the results are compared with a temperaturedata array obtained earlier using additional comparator units.Measurement results in all selected temperature measurement channels aresupplied to RAM units where they are either stored or sent bycommunication channels to processing program realization units withsubsequent visualization as an image and text documentation based on thediagnosis results.

Embodimdent of Disclosed Method

[0021] Chosen as a diagnosis objects are woman's mammary glands. Toexamine them, a patient is laid supine on the bed. The mammary glandsare wiped with a 40% ethyl alcohol solution and then a pause is given atthe base room air temperature of 21° C. that is necessary to render theskin temperature stationary. Then a brassiere is put on the mammaryglands to fix them in a vertical position. Holes in the brassiere formpoints on the surface of the mammary glands as circles each of themcontains 8 holes. A number of circles are from 3 to 6 depending upon aheight of a mammary gland, and a brassiere size is selectedcorrespondingly. Data of the patient and her size of the brassier areregistered into the data of the RAM unit. Then a cycle of examinationwith a temperature sensor is carried out for each mammary gland, whichconsists in consecutive measurement of a temperature relative to thebase temperature in each point according to a set rule (for instance,clockwise). The measurement cycle in each point consists in thefollowing sequence of operations: selecting a number of a hole, applyinga sensor to the skin in the selected hole, getting a sound signal ofmeasurement termination, applying the sensor to a device which fixes thebase temperature T_(c) and getting a sound signal of cooling the sensordown to the base temperature. Then the cycle is repeated for the nextpoint. After termination of measurements, depending upon whether theexamination was primary or secondary, either a pattern of pathologydistribution and quality in the mammary glands is visualized using analgorithm for processing the resulting temperature data, which waspreviously put into the computerized unit, or changes occurred after theprimary examination are determined. If there is no computer at thelocation of the patient, a modem is used to transmit data to a computer,said modem receiving information from the device by radio telephonecommunication.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0022] The invention can be used in biology and medicine for screeningof bioobjects, in particular, for mass screening of population,screening aimed at the formation of female risk groups for mammarycheckups, for diagnosing and monitoring various types of neoplasms inbodies of bioobjects, particularly in a human body.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for the temperature diagnostics ofbioobject pathologies, comprising: primary diagnostics based ondynamical measuring a temperature on a surface of a bioobject by meansof a body temperature sensor in a number of points coordinated on thissurface; carrying out further diagnostics by dynamical measuring thesurface temperature after a time by the same sensor and in the samepoints; obtaining an array of surface temperature difference values bysubtracting a primary array of surface temperature data values from asecondary array of surface temperature data values; determining, fromthe obtained array of surface temperature difference values, coordinatesof zones inside the body of the bioobject that are identified withpathology loci responsible for the temperature changes occurred on thebody surface of the bioobject, said determination being based on a knownalgorithm which joins the location of the said pathologies in the bodyof the bioobject with a difference temperature field on the body surfaceof the bioobject; drawing isotherms based on the data obtained andfinding coordinates of their poles on the body surface of the bioobjectwherein the skin surface of the bioobject is marked with regular points,for instance, by using applied masks with holes whose quantity is n₁ andthe distances between them are chosen depending upon a size of thebioobject and a configuration of a body part to be studied; theexamination in said points is carried out by temperature sensors whosequantity n₂ is chosen out of the condition of an optimal diagnosisduration; a temperature in each point is estimated in dynamic mode bycalculating a possible asymptotic temperature value in each pointdepending upon a type of skin of the bioobject, a type of thetemperature sensor and, respectively, the form of the sensor temperaturechange curve during each separate measurement, while a measurement ineach point as such includes n₃ separate measurements taken in timeintervals that are short as compared to a sensor time constant and areset by a precision timer and whose number n₃ is chosen out of thecondition of achieving a pre-set temperature error value which isε=T_(2i)−T_(1i), where T_(2i) is an asymptotic value of a predeterminedtemperature curve of heating the sensor at its contact with the skin ofthe bioobject, the temperature of each sensor before each measurementbeing set constant and equal to T_(0i) which is kept at the requiredaccuracy and is chosen out of the condition T_(c)≦T_(0i)≦T_(ki), whereT_(ki) is the lowest temperature of the skin of the bioobject in i-thpoint of measurements before their start, and T_(c) is the temperatureof the environment at the moment of measurements; the results ofcomparing the primary and secondary diagnosis are reproduced at a screenof a computer monitor as maps illustrating pathology loci in the body ofthe bioobject and having alphanumeric comments that relate to thepathology loci observed and depend on the nature and location of loci inthe body, said results are written to the permanent memory of thecomputer and documented as a printout for a case history.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein, for finding a depth z of occurring a pathologylocus and its nature, the magnitude values and sign of the temperaturechange in the zones are used where changes took place relative to anaverage temperature value T_(cp) which is determined by results of thesurface temperature measurement, while temperature changes as such inpathology loci are represented by different colors whose intensity isset proportional to a value of said temperature change: if thetemperature on the surface above a respective pathology locus iselevated, then said depth is found according to the criterion:${Z \propto {r\sqrt{\frac{2T^{2}}{T_{0}^{2} - T^{2}} - 1}}},$

and for a surface area where a reduced surface temperature is observedabove a respective locus area, said depth is found according to thecriterion:${Z \propto \sqrt{\frac{r^{2}}{\left( \frac{T_{0}}{T} \right)^{\frac{2}{3}}} - 1}},$

where r is a current radius counted from an isotherm pole, T₀ is atemperature value at the isotherm pole, T is a current temperature valuein polar coordinates with a center in the isotherm pole, wherein for apathology locus with a temperature higher that the average temperature,an averaged temperature value in the pathology locus is estimated by thecriterion:${T_{loc} \propto {\frac{\Theta}{4\quad \pi \quad \rho} + T_{cp}}},$

where Θ is a thermal current flowing on the surface and caused by thepathology locus with the higher temperature, ρ is a typical pathologylocus size which is calculated by information about z and a size of thepathology locus mapping on the surface.
 3. The method of claim 1 orclaim 2, wherein a nature of respective nosology is assigned to apathology locus depending upon the magnitude and sign of the temperaturechange in said locus depending upon the average temperature and itslocation in a respective organ of the body, and in accordance with dataobtained earlier as a result of thermographic examinations.
 4. A methodof any one of claims 1, 2, 3, wherein the diagnostics of the body of thebioobject or its part includes current diagnosing in which data of thisexamination is considered to be secondary as compared to a previouslyobtained average statistical picture of a similar bioobject for the bodyor the present area of the body, and the diagnostics is carried out bycomparing said pictures.
 5. A method of any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4,wherein, for diagnosing a health state of a bioobject, the pictureobtained in the diagnostics of the body or the body part of thebioobject is sequentially compared to average statistical pictures ofvarious nosology forms obtained for a similar bioobject type and undersimilar diagnosing conditions, and a type of pathology is determinedbased on said comparison.
 6. A method of any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4,5, wherein, for monitoring pathology loci, medical and biologicalprocedures are prescribed which act to the detected pathology loci, abioobject is diagnosed in predetermined time intervals, and the resultof such a diagnostics are used to estimate the action of the prescribedprocedures to the pathology loci to correct, change or keep saidprocedures.
 7. A method of any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, wherein,for more qualified operative diagnosing, bioobject diagnosis data istransmitted as a file from a site where the diagnosis was established toa remote Diangosis Center using a wireless communication channel.
 8. Adevice for the temperature diagnostics of a bioobject, comprising: atemperature measurement unit and a communication channel connectedthereto, a RAM unit, a program realization unit as well as a comparatorunit, a programming unit and a visualization unit all connected to theabove-mentioned units by communication channels, wherein a number of thetemperature measurement units is chosen to be n₃ and meets theinequality: 1≦n₃≦N, where N is a number of organs of the bioobject to betested, and said temperature measurement units are implemented for n₂temperature sensors.
 9. A device of claim 8, wherein the temperaturesensors are provided with arrangements for regulated supply of air witha temperature equal to T_(c), which is obtained by cooling air (e.g. bya method of injecting through a small hole or on the basis of Peltje'selements).
 10. A device of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein, for operativediagnosing various organs, the device is provided with a data processingalgorithm index which takes into account a shape of an organ to bediagnosed, and there are suitable diskettes in an installation set forinstallation of a respective algorithm.
 11. A device of any one ofclaims 8, 9, 10, wherein the device is provided with a computerized unitthat has computer-readable media of databases of bioobjects to bestudied, their pathology histories, programs used to compare databasesof reference and current values for pictures of various nosologies,programs used to draw isotherms from difference values of temperaturevalue matrices in diagnosing, and to determine poles of said isotherms,to realize calculations of depths of occurrence of pathology lociaccording to predetermined algorithms, and also to recognize a pathologynature and output information to the visualization unit, and also toprint information to a selected storage medium using modems tuned to aselected data transmission channel.